


The Touch of a Stranger

by Pugmom1969



Category: Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-26
Updated: 2020-02-26
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:20:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22907653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pugmom1969/pseuds/Pugmom1969
Summary: Never travel alone - you never know who might be watching.





	The Touch of a Stranger

**Author's Note:**

> This story is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author's imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.

There I was, sitting on a decrepit bench in a well used bus, heading home from work. It was a long ride, and after a horrendous day, all I wanted to do was doze. You couldn’t sleep – too bumpy and the driver was hard on the brakes. After making sure my purse and bag were securely tucked in beside me, I leaned my head against the window and stared thoughtlessly at the passing scenery.

The first sign of trouble was when the aisle seat next to me was filled by a rather pleasant looking business man. While the bus wasn’t entirely empty, as there were several free seats, it wasn’t deserted either. It took me a few minutes to realize I was no longer alone and when I turned slightly to look at him, that was when the scent hit me.

He was intoxicating and he knew it, as he smirked down at me. “Enjoying the ride?” he murmured, and it felt like a furnace had lit up inside me. It was wild and completely out of my frame of reference. It scared me and I hunched back against the wall of the bus the best I could.

I nodded back hesitantly. It was a strange world now, you never knew who you could trust. This harmless looking man could be a serial killer and the homeless looking bum, a savior in disguise. I wanted to shrink back further, but I was already pressed tight against the seat and bus frame, and the damage had already been done. The instant I moved away from him, I had labeled myself easy prey.

“It’s all right, dearest, I’m not going to hurt you,” he whispered, and my imagination filled in the missing word – much.

I shivered despite my resolve to be strong. I knew it was too late – as soon as he blocked my seat, the situation was in his hands.

“I just want to hold your hand,” he told me. “That would be all right, wouldn’t it, Karen?” Without waiting for a reply, he took hold of my hand and held it firmly in his own warm one.

I knew as soon as he touched me, that I was in the hands of a monster. It was so unfair that he should be well groomed, warm and smelling of sandalwood and musk. This stranger knew me and I knew nothing of him, except that I was going to be wishing I were dead long before I was.

End


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